Many types of resilient conveyor belts are known, wherein the conveyor belts are generally configured so as to be continuous and are thusly arranged on a frame in a circulatory manner. Here, the conveyor belts are guided and deflected on rollers of deflection and/or drive devices mounted in the frame, and are, if necessary, driven by means of these rollers.
In order that a conveyor belt can be guided in a defined manner on a roller, in particular transversely to the conveying direction of the belt, such rollers are often shaped spherically, resulting in the effect of the conveyor belt being retained and guided substantially centrally on this spherical region during operation. Disadvantageous in spherically configured rollers of this kind is that dirt may accumulate along the lateral regions of the conveyor belt, between the conveyor belt and the spherical roller, which dirt may interfere with the guiding effect, so that a required lateral guiding of the conveyor belt can no longer be adequately ensured, whereby, in the worst case, the conveyor belt can run down laterally off the spherical roller and spring off.
CN207107729U, for example, describes a bulbous drive roller with ridges for a conveyor belt that are oriented transversely to the conveying direction, wherein the ridges prevent a sticking the conveyor belt to the drive roller, with a thusly associated lateral deflection of the conveyor belt. Through the combination of the ridges with the bulbous shape of the drive roller the lateral slipping off of the drive roller from the conveyor belt is prevented.
With respect to another structural solution, it is known to provide rollers set slightly towards one another, in order to be able to support a conveyor belt on both sides, at the edge regions thereof, viewed in the conveying direction, so that a lateral migration of the conveyor belt transversely to the conveying direction can be prevented. However, this solution is quite laborious owing to the large number of rollers required.
In view of a particularly simple configuration of a transport system including a conveyor belt, the conveyor belt may, for example, form merely an upper run and a lower run which are guided substantially in parallel with one another.
GB1039312A discloses a conveyor system with a continuous belt. This belt comprises elevations extending in the longitudinal direction. The subject matter of GB1039312A further comprises a roller for guiding the continuous belt, which roller comprises parallel grooves in the circumferential direction that can engage in the grooves of the belt. Substantially U-shaped grooves are described as a particular form.
A disadvantage here is that belts of this kind comprise no optimal grip on the rollers, and friction losses can occur for this reason. In addition, in a temperature shift, the accuracy of fit between grooves in the belt and elevations on the rollers can suffer. It is important for a particularly accurate fit to be achieved in the assembly and the manufacture.
EP679522A1 describes a conveyor belt element for conveying goods, with a resiliently bendable and planarly configured main body with a receiving surface for receiving the goods and with a track guide device for guiding the conveyor belt element on a support means. The track guide means includes one or multiple groove elements configured as a material weakening in each case and arranged in the resiliently bendable main body extending in the direction of travel of the conveyor belt element.
The above-mentioned conveyor belts are generally driven through a force-fitting force transmission, by drive rollers that are in contact with the conveyor belts. If heavy goods are to be transported, or if a movement of the conveyor belt is impeded by high friction losses, for example at deflection or guide elements, slip may occur between the drive rollers and the conveyor belt, which slip leads to increased wear and an unreliable driving of the conveyor belt. This problem arises in particular in the case of conveyor belts that are guided by guide elements that engage in grooves, as particularly high friction losses occur here.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,174A describes a resilient conveyor belt with longitudinal grooves, between which respectively ridges with an M-shaped cross section are arranged. The ridges can engage in complementarily shaped notches of a drive roller, wherein the ridges are splayed, which can lead to an improved frictional connection to the drive of the conveyor belt. However, owing to the complex geometry, a jamming of the conveyor belt can easily occur, and the manufacture of the conveyor belt and the drive roller are complex.